Council tax visit after buying house
 

My wife agreed to a visit from the "council tax people" next week after she received a letter. She has no more information since she sent it back to them and didn't think to question the purpose of their visit :nono:

Do they have the power to reband the house? Are they visiting because they've seen the sold price to us recently is higher than the banding would suggest? Do we have to let them visit?

Voluntary as I understand it, tell them to jog on &/or don't let them in.

TX.

I'm afraid if improvements have been carried out on the house then you can be re-banded after a sale of the house as its new value has been established.

^^ It's not a legal requirement though is it fella? Tell them to fook off imho ...

TX.

At least they sent you a letter. The swines sneaked onto our land and spied through the windows. Everyone was out, so we only knew what had happened when we got the increase in Council Tax banding. :mad:

She doesn't know who the letter was from but doesn't remember anything saying it was compulsory. There was building work done a few years ago but it had a completion certificate from the same council. They should have thought of the council tax implications then?

John, they tried it on when we moved house back in 2004 ... I just ignored the letter & nowt else occurred. It was written like it was a compulsary thing though, the swines!

TX.

As I understand it they can only reband when the house changes hands. Always thought this was dead dodgy as people buy houses on the basis of what band it is currently in.

Your choice either way - When I bought my current house it had been extended (loft conversion) - we got the letter, I told them not interested so they rebanded the house from D to E regardless.

Ignore it and you might get away with it.

Not correct - you can at any time ask for a review of the banding. I myself carried this process out 2 years ago - 3 years after buying the house. It's relatively simple to do and I used only free resources I found on the web, a formal letter and a few printed out photo's of similar properties (no expert needed).

Our house was downgraded by one band. However there is no guarantee that the rebanding process will not push it up a band (or just keep it the same). Though I went for it as clearly ours was wrong.

How can they do that as the bands date back years ?

Surely if it last sold like outs for 160k and is in banf F or G (not sure) they cant re-rate it as band I because its worth two or three times more and put it in the top band because its worth say 500,000 which was the top band back when the bands were done.

Surely the increases in Council tax are relative to the bands and the house, assuming no major changes should still be in the same band ?

Depends on your location.

Certainly in Scotland they can and will reband your house. My house was built in 2004 as a 3 bed Bungalow with a band D tax band. The owners converted the loftspace in 2005 and added an extra 2 bedrooms and an En-suite. They continued paying council tax in Band D category.

I bought in 2007 and after 3mths or so, got the same letter John did, I could cooperate or not but the council tax was being pushed into band E as because the house was sold, they then had the power to reband it. I tried my best to keep it in band D by getting as much evidence together as I could of council tax bands and valuations in 1991 etc but it fell on deaf ears. I argued that the house hadn't actually increased in size, I was simply utilising my rather large loft but no joy, they werent interested, band E.

TerminatorX, not sure where you are in the country but as said, up here anyway, they will change your band, you can challenge it but it will probably fall on deaf ears if the living space of the building has increased from its initial banding.

If it's the same house with no major changes then it shouldn't change. However what you are actually arguing is that the original banding from back in the 80's was wrong (not that something recent is wrong).

I was actually paid back council tax for the 3 years before rebanding as well as having a lower council tax these last two years.

It goes even further in that the owner(s) before me can actually take advantage of this rebanding I sought, to be refunded any overpaid council tax they paid too.

The previous owner increased the size of the house by extending into the barn in 2005 and by the time we've finished extending more, if we ever sell it it would be band H which would be a bit of turd in the toilet for the next owner like the G is for us. I expect the 2005 extension and the stamp duty report has flagged it and it should be the band above, but I was just annoyed that the Mrs just sent it back without finding out the consequences first and then casually telling me later. It is the same when I get in her car occasionally and being a VW there is usually some new fault or service warning or other.

"When did that happen?"
"Oh I was going to mention that..." :rolleyes:

Women, only keep them because they're pretty ;)

I suppose the council tax rise is inevitable, but I don't just roll over for these things as I've learned to be a bit of a ba$t..d and have got reasonably good at being one.

AFAIK they have to refer to the 'valuation at 1990' levels (or whenever they did the original banding). So a new house would have to be compared to a similar property built then and put into that band. What a lot of the current kerfuffle is about is various people (i.e. councils mainly!) want all houses to be re-valued, but keeping the tax bands at the same level as they were. So your £90K 1990 house (band B say) is now worth £250K so will now be in band G (or whatever - you get the point). Oh look, more money for local government ... who'd have thought it ... :Suspiciou

Of course, the fact that a little old lady has lived there for the last 30 years and who has suddenly not been able to afford a £250K house is beyond their comprehension. Socialists - they run out of other peoples money in the end! If that was the system I wonder how quick they'd be to re-band down when house prices dropped?? :wonder: Bet we come to the same conclusion there ....

Rant over ...

Dave

Socialism at its best: we just got awarded an enterprise grant from the same council. It covers approximately the VAT and duty on an imported machine, but it delayed the order waiting for approval. Why not just tax us less in the first place and then you won't need people in council offices deciding how to redistribute our money?

Since the clouncil is responsible for the banding of a house as well as collecting the tax, surely they must have a right to inspect it for the purpose of banding.

The original bandind was done on the say-so of the local estate agents, most of which were assessed by driving past the houses and making a guess at it.

Les

I do remember then trying that, would put all the houses round here into band I taking us from £210 a month to £285, think I pay enough myself !

to clarify:
The banding is based on what your house would of been worth April 1991.
You can request to have it re-banded anytime you want.
If you carry out improvements then it won't be re-banded until the house is sold as thats the only real way to establish how much value the improvements have added or if you ask for re-banding.

Quote from The Valuation Office:
The banding of a dwelling which has had improvements which increase its value cannot be re banded until it is next sold. If you are considering buying a property which has been extended since 1993, you should be aware that the council tax band can be increased after the sale has taken place.

More info here:
http://www.voa.gov.uk/corporate/Coun....html#starting

Sounds to me like they are just chancing their arm, any increase in value that occured between sales will mostly just be the market ... they don't keep records on every house ffs ie this one had a garage before, now it's been converted to a room etc! Tell em to jog on imho.

No one has yet posted that the law allows them to do this either :Suspiciou

TX.

A guy at work was stung by a drive by shunt doing a valuation from the council. He had a 2 bed in a terrace - the rest in the street were 3's... I can't remember the figures but they sent him a letter saying you have been paying for a 2 bed when we can clearly see it's a 3. He had to invite them in to see there was only 2 beds - not 3
But it amazes me how the council can just put it up.. rediculous.